Sterilising Baby’s Bottles

Bottles are a principal part of a baby’s nourishment/feeding during the first year of life, so make sure your baby’s bottles are cleaned properly each time. Sometimes washing of bottle is taken for granted. But, appropriate cleaning of baby bottles is very important, as immune system of an infant is not completely developed and is susceptible to the bacterial infection from dirty bottles.

Cleaning bottles: All Bottle parts and equipment used for preparing a feed should be thoroughly cleaned as soon as possible before and after each use. Wash the bottle, teat and lid with hot soapy water. Use a brush to clean out any dried milk jammed inside the bottle parts. After cleaning, rinse with some fresh water and let it to air dry.

Sterilising bottles: Sterilising is the process of killing harmful germs present on the surfaces of the bottles. The sterilization of bottles should be continued for at least the first 12 months.

There are various methods to sterilise your baby’s bottles:

Boiling– Place clean bottle parts in a large saucepan, filled with water. Bring water to the boil for at least 5 minutes.

Chemicals– Disinfectant in the form of liquids or tablets soluble in water might be used for sterilising.

Steaming –For this Microwave or Electric sterilisers might also be used.